We are happy to announce that as recipients of the Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grant (BIIG) KidsPeace Chalfont will use these monies toward community engagement, extracurricular, social and recreational activities to help foster youth and those who support them feel a sense of belonging. With these funds, we hope to help foster youth develop the social skills necessary for interacting and communicating with others through age-appropriate peer activities, as well as preserve foster and adoptive placements through retention and community events. We look forward to providing our foster families and the children we serve with opportunities for families in the foster community to connect, opening the door to peer support. We believe all foster youth should be given opportunities to participate in the same activities as their non-system involved peers, and are so thankful that this grant gives KidsPeace children this chance!

This past weekend, on December 20th the BOA hand-delivered our holiday meals from Bocelli’s to our families all across Southeastern PA. As one of the delivery drivers, I can say the food smelled amazing! Our families were so thankful to have a prepared and delicious meal on Sunday night. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and to our amazing community. The generosity shown in our partnerings with multiple businesses across Bucks County is incredible in this time when so many are struggling.

The program received a grant of $4,500 from Foundations Community Partnership to help with challenges the foster families faced as a result of the pandemic.
The funds were used:
… to provide remote access and teleconferencing opportunities
… to offer gifts cards for groceries and household supplies for foster families who are facing financial strain in the wake of the pandemic …to provide gift baskets for families in honor of Foster Care Appreciation month in lieu of an in-person Foster Parent Appreciation event.

A member of the Board of Associates, Sarah Cornwell, artfully partnered her jewelry with our cause. She created a necklace, that she named “fostering love” and a portion of the proceeds go directly to KidsPeace ($20 from the gold and $10 from the purchase of the silver). The necklace adds a delicate sparkle to any outfit and can help foster conversation and support by sharing our message. SCJ also used some friendly faces, Southeastern PA foster families, to model the necklaces! The design and story behind this piece by Sarah Cornell Jewelry is a perfect embodiment of the giving spirit this holiday season. The following is a direct link to the Fostering Love, Hanging Heart necklace but please also consider supporting this local, woman-owned business

https://sarahcornwelljewelry.com/products/fostering-love-hanging-heart-necklace

This holiday season the BOA will be working with Bocelli’s of Doylestown to provide Southeastern PA foster families with holiday meals. This is always a hectic time and presents new challenges this year, so hopefully a prepared meal can offer a needed reprieve. The BOA will be organizing meal delivery; please discuss with your families what you would like to order so that we can plan our routes. A big thank you to Bocelli’s for your generosity in this climate that has been especially hard-hitting on our local restaurants.

The Kerr sisters came up with a creative and generous way to donate some of their time. Together, Ella and Emmy made dog treats to sell in their neighborhood. The girls decided to use the money raised to make a donation to KidsPeace! Thank you to Emmy, Ella, and to their likely inspiration, their foster pup Blue!

The Together We Rise “Build a Bike” Program recently donated 10 bikes for younger school age kids. A quintessential like moment for many, learning to ride a bike, is not possible for many children in the foster care system. These 10 bikes have already been distributed and will allow both the children and foster parents to make this moment a reality. Thank you so much to Together We Rise for making this possible! For more information and to read about their mission, how they got started, or ways to get involved visit their website at

https://www.togetherwerise.org/bikes-for-foster-children/

On July 15th three beautiful brothers were adopted. All three boys spent 874 days in care with their respective adoptive parents. Congratulations to Brad and Desiree Beck on their sons William and Jackson Beck, and to Jonathan and Megan Craig on their son Aiden Craig!

TONIGHTS WINNER and recipient of $16,000 *KidsPeace* is a private charity dedicated to serving the behavioral and mental health needs of children, families and communities

Legal Aid of Southeastern PA – provides quality legal representation to low-income and vulnerable people.

We encourage you to follow ALL the organizations and share their pages with your friends. They need all the awareness they can get. Thank you to Heather and Ann (KidsPeace), Woody (The Synergy Project/Valley Youth House) and a Jennifer (Legal Aid) for educating us on their respective organizations this evening and most importantly for your tireless efforts in helping those in need.

On behalf of KidsPeace I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to the Fiaria Project for our recent donation box. The mission of the Fiaria team is to help aid in the placement transitions for foster children. Transitions present challenges for everyone but can be especially difficult for our kids. The gifts included in the Transition Kits from Fiaria offer added comfort and an extra reason to smile during an otherwise stressful time. For more information on the Fiaria Project please visit their website: https://fiaria.org/

KidsPeace Foster Care has received $16,000 in gifts to help its Bucks County (PA) foster families cope with the first month of a placement of an opioid-impacted infant or toddler.  The “Transition Month Fund” is designed specifically to assist KidsPeace foster families in addressing the significant financial and time management challenges they face as they begin caring for medically fragile children. 

U.S. Representative Bryan Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) visited the KidsPeace Doylestown foster care offices on Friday 8/4, meeting the staff and talking with foster parents Megan and Jonathan Craig.  Megan and Jonathan told Congressman Fitzpatrick about the challenges and successes they’ve seen in fostering nine-month-old Aidan, a child born into a family touched by addiction.  Congressman Fitzpatrick also heard about KidsPeace’s plans to develop a “Center of Excellence” resource for foster parents facing similar situations; the center will provide a clearinghouse for the best available support and information so that foster families can give these innocent victims of substance abuse the best chance to grow and thrive.  Thanks to the congressman and Sean Roche of his staff for visiting, and we look forward to working with you in the future! 

Pictured with Congressman Bryan Fitzpatrick (center) at the KidsPeace Doylestown office are (l. to r.): Heather Moore, KidsPeace Foster Care regional manager; foster parents Jonathan and Megan Craig; and KidsPeace Vice President of Development Ann McCauley.